Xi Jinping applauds Hong Kong repression: "The prelude to a massacre"

by Paul Wang

Speaking in Brasilia, the Chinese president strongly supports the violent actions of Hong Kong police and urges the judges to punish "those who committed violent crimes". A sort of "license to kill" for public security officials. Police violence condemned by many civil society organizations. A US Commission threatens to suspend Hong Kong's special economic status in the event of an invasion of the Chinese Liberation Army.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - "The prelude to a massacre": this is how a young Chinese man who studies in the territory commented on the words expressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on the situation in Hong Kong, giving them – continues the young man - " the police and its allies license to kill". Yesterday, in fact, Xi Jinping threw all his support on the Hong Kong police and the use of force, and on the judges to radically punish those who contravened the law.

Speaking in Brasilia at a BRICS summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), he said that the most urgent priority for Hong Kong is to end the violence and restore order. Expressing support for Chief Executive Carrie Lam, he added: "We sternly support the Hong Kong police to take forceful actions in enforcing the law, and the Hong Kong judiciary to punish in accordance with the law those who have committed violent crimes".

In all these months, the silence and the immobility of the chief executive, as well as the excessive use of force by the police, have been among the causes of vandalism and widespread violence among the young extremists of the anti-extradition movement and pro-democracy. The movement, the Catholic Church and many civil society organizations continue to demand an independent investigation into the work of the police, after some injuries, suspicious deaths, hooliganism.

For Xi Jinping the evil is all on one side: "The continued radical and violent crimes that have happened in Hong Kong have seriously trampled over [Hong Kong’s] rule of law and social order, severely undermined Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and amount to a blatant challenge to the bottom line of one country, two systems,” he said.

Xi's comments are his first public and international opinion on the situation in Hong Kong.

Two days ago, the Central Office of the China-Hong Kong Relationship (Liaison Office) issued an official statement stating that Hong Kong "is slipping into the abyss of terrorism" and that an even harsher repression is needed for restore law and order.

There are no comments yet from the international community, which so far has remained somewhat lukewarm on the situation of the territory, limiting itself to asking for "moderation" on both sides.

Yesterday evening, the Security Verification Commission for US-China economic relations, demanded that Washington suspend Hong Kong's special economic status in the event that Beijing deploys its army in the city. Despite being part of China, Hong Kong is not subject to US sanctions under the trade war and due to the state of international law in force in the territory, many US funds reach China via Hong Kong.

"The increasingly heavy taxation of Beijing in the control of Hong Kong's sovereignty - the Commission says - undermines" the high degree of autonomy "that guarantees trust" in trade with Hong Kong.

One of the Commission's recommendations is that Congress "pass a law" suspending Hong Kong's special status in the event that "the Chinese government deploys the People’s Liberation Army or the special armed police in an armed intervention in Hong Kong ". The Commission also suggests that "Members of Congress ... continue to express support for freedom of expression and the rule of law in Hong Kong".

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